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Thursday, July 24, 2014

This time of year, on my weekly produce runs to Sprouts, the berries seem to jump into my shopping basket. (And at 3 pints for $5 this week, I am betting they will again very soon.) Yes, they are wonderful in smoothies, stirred into yogurt, dropped over ice cream or pound cake. But there still seems to be plenty leftover. Here's a delicious way to use up a bounty of berries. As you can see from the photo, it got the office's seal of approval.

Pulse pecans in food processor until roughly chopped. Add the brown sugar, flour, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Pulse several times to combine. Add the butter, and pulse until everything is incorporated and the mixture looks damp and clumpy. Set aside..

Monday, July 21, 2014

If you're like me (OK...if you're SMART like me), you're dropping 15-20 bucks at Farmer Lemley's tomato stand at the Dallas Farmer's Market once a week.

And, if you, like me, can't use or share all those beauties soon enough, you look for recipes with tomatoes (lots of them) in the ingredient list. I have a couple of gazpacho-type cold tomato soup recipes I'll post soon, but here is a hearty tomato recipe that is easily a main course. If the meat eaters in your house revolt, you could always serve a grilled chicken breast alongside.

Sunday, July 20, 2014

This isn't a recipe as much as it is a preparation. Although with summer tomatoes plentiful at Farmer Lemley's stand at the farmers market, it's really a mandate.

Thickly slice a couple of tomatoes...if they are heirlooms or you have a variety of colors, all the better.

Slice the best-quality mozzarella you can get your hands on. Although I will confess, when tomatoes are wonderful, I can even settle for the stuff you can easily find at the supermarket. You'll want one slice of mozzarella for each slice of tomato. And a serving will be 2-3 slices of each.

Overlap the slices on your plate. Drizzle with high-quality olive oil and scatter some shredded fresh basil on top. Season with flake salt and freshly cracked black pepper. If you are so inclined you can add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar...I skip it. I feel like it overwhelms the tomatoes, the stars of this delicious show.

Friday, July 18, 2014

You don't buy bottled tartar sauce, do you? All you need to do to make it yourself is mix a little pickle relish (or even better chowchow) into some mayonnaise. Or a little chopped dill pickle. Diced onion is a nice add-in. This recipe kicks it up a notch further with some fresh dill. Use it on the crispy halibut recipe I posted yesterday.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Long time, no see. Sorry...life has been beautiful, but busy. Still trying lots of recipes and picking up ideas. Promise to do a better job of sharing them with you. Starting with this easy delicious dinner.

Got an e-mail from The Other Half yesterday saying "We're having cod for dinner."

Translation: "I bought cod at the grocery store. Now you need to figure out what to do with it and make it so."

I'm used to this routine, so pulled up recipes tagged "cod" in my Evernote files. (I haven't told you about Evernote, have I? Well, I will soon.) We passed on a couple of interesting poached ideas. Also set aside one made en papillote for very soon. Settled on this easy way to make it crispy but keep it light.

Beat the egg whites until frothy and set aside. Season the panko whatever strikes your fancy...salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, thyme, you get the idea. Dip the halibut into the egg whites and then dredge in the seasoned panko. If the coating seems light, press a little more panko onto the halibut.

In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Place the halibut in the pan and allow to fry until browned on one side. Turn fish over and place skillet into preheated oven. Bake until fish is cooked through and panko browned on top, another 6-8 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve. You can top it with a little salsa, some sauteed summer veggies, or the tasty dill sauce I will post here tomorrow.